UNCONSOLIDATED SEDIMENTS: JUST IN THE WAY?

Many students graduating with an undergraduate or graduate degree in geology go on to work for consulting firms that specialize in the fields of environmental, civil, and/or geotechnical engineering. Often, the principal role of a new geologist is to oversee drilling operations for site investigations. Part of this role requires the geologist to accurately characterize subsurface materials such as soil, bedrock, and groundwater and to select and manage samples for environmental or geotechnical laboratory analysis.

Many project sites, such as those located in the Mississippi Embayment and Gulf Coastal Plain, are underlain by deep deposits of unconsolidated sediments, and yet, the typical graduate geology student has a core curriculum focused on lithified material. Effective site characterization of deep soil deposits requires knowledge in the disciplines of soil genesis, soil mechanics, and field methods for environmental and geotechnical soil sample collection. These topics are typically covered in courses such as engineering geology or introductory soil mechanics, though we do not see these courses on the transcripts of recent graduates.

The importance of pursuing classes in engineering geology and/or introductory soil mechanics cannot be understated. Completion of these courses will equip the young geology professional with the skill set required to collect relevant field data, create meaningful boring logs and lithological cross sections, and effectively communicate site characteristics with project engineers and regulators.